SwannView iPhone App Review

The Swann iPhone app, SwannView, allows anyone who owns Swann security cameras to watch those cameras from anywhere they have Internet access. It is a great release for those who already own Swann cameras and an incentive for those who do not.

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For many people, especially those who have had difficulties in the past, security is a major issue and being able to use a simple app to check on your home is an idea that has a lot of merit. That is where the SwannView iPhone app comes into play. Allowing you to check on your Swann security cameras from anywhere that has 3G or Wi-Fi it can help to ensure that your home is secure.

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What SwannView Does

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Swann security systems allow you to look at multiple cameras from your home at the same time. To do this it sends those images directly to a DVR and then to your iPhone. The advantage of this setup is that there are no third party servers and so it is far more secure, something that is very important to those who are worried enough about security to have cameras and this app. Of course you will need to use the Swann security cameras in order to get value out of this which limits it too much to get five stars.

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User Interface

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As with many security minded apps this is not as simple as you might like because it needs to be very secure. This mean that in order to access a camera you will need to know the name, address, port, user ID and password of each camera. If you know this information the setup is very easy with the default screen being the cameras. Simply touch the + sign and it takes you to the list of cameras and from there you can set up new cameras very easily.

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Security

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As this Swann iPhone app has some potential issues with security it is worth considering. Downloading this app will not allow anyone to view someone else’s SwannView security cameras unless they already have their information. That said, there is no password protection on this program and as the iPhone is a mobile device that can get lost there is a reasonable chance of it being lost or stolen. If it is, then in addition to having to worry about information being stolen, someone could actually be watching your home through your security system.

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Value

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If you already own Swann security cameras then getting the SwannView app is going to be a very easy decision because it is simply added functionality and easy access to your cameras. If you are considering a security system to get be aware that this is far from a perfect program. Each time you load it you need to choose the cameras you want to list and the images themselves are small. This makes it a good addition to an already existing camera system, but not a good reason to choose Swann cameras in the first place.